Mainland visitors buoy tourism in Lakshadweep

PK Krishnakumar, ET BureauOct 31, 2008, 12.36am IST

KOCHI: Thriving on domestic travelers, Lakshadweep seems to have bucked the trend of a lull in the tourism activities that have affected the country because of a global economic recession. This Union Territory of coral island chain in the Arabian Sea has witnessed an increase in bookings particularly from domestic tourists.

Though ships from Kochi are the main means of transport to these islands, lot of tourists arrive by flights to Agatti, where the airport is located. As compared with last year there is around 20 % rise in the tourist arrivals, according to M. Shihabuddin, manager of Society for Promotion of Nature Tourism and Sports (SPORTS) of Lakshadweep Tourism.

The bookings for the tourism season, which peaks in December, have shown almost 50 % increase. While there have been hardly any cancellations, the flow of foreign tourists has waned. This has been compensated by a surge in the domestic traffic. Lakshadweep Tourism conducts package tours to Kadamat, Kavaratti, Minicoy and Kalpeni islands. It has tourist resorts in the first three islands. Mr Shihabuddin said that one reason for the rise in domestic tourists is that the Central government employees have been allowed claim LTC facility for visit to Lakshadweep. In addition to the above islands, there are private resorts in Bangaram and Agatti islands.

Water sports in Lakshadweep have been a big draw in the recent years. While local visitors come for relaxation, there are foreign tourists who come to enjoy just the water sports. And the islands have enough to offer them, says Mr Shihabuddin. From snorkelling and scuba diving to sailing, yachting, kayaking, glass bottom ride etc. Several islands have diving centres with trainers attached to them. Deep sea fishing is another past time for sports enthusiasts.